Of Truth and Reality
by SchwarzViolet
Summary: When do you know if something's true? What's the difference between truth and reality? Naruto finds out that his life was just an illusion... unreal... untrue... or was it really?
1. Nori

Story's Title: Of Truth and Reality

Author: SchwarzViolet

Rating: PG-13 (coz of later chapters)

Pairings: you'll see later on

Okay, now... I admit, I do not own Naruto.

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Hello there!

Yey! This is my first story and I have this big sign around my neck with the writing 'NEWBIE' on it, so please go easy on me as you read and judge what I wrote. Hope you'll like it!

SchwarzViolet

P.S. This story's AU, in case you wouldn't notice...

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Chapter 1: Nori

I opened my blue eyes and squinted at the bright light, closing them again. Trying to soothe my eyes as they were closed, I heard sounds, voices, and… a faintly familiar beeping. Wherever I was, I was surely not in my room.

The sounds became clearer as I focused, and I recognized some of the voices, too. Thinking it was enough rest for my eyes, I opened them once more, to sight a blurry looking world. Confused, I closed and reopened them, letting them get used to seeing again. After a while, their stubbornness left and I could see clearly, albeit it caused a wave of dizziness to come.

Looking steadily upward, I remembered seeing the ceiling before already… yes. And the beeping… it came from a heart monitor. I was at the hospital. Thoughts shot right through my mind.

'What the hell happened? Why am I here? And why do I have these wires to me?'

I tried to move my body, for it seemed to me as if I was lying for a while now…first my hands, then my feet. Not bad. I could move them. Then my arms…shit! It felt like a thousand needles just pricked me hard on those arms. No, make those a thousand knives.

"Now, now. Take it easy. You don't want to fall unconscious again, do you? Keep on moving like that and the pain will get to you."

I steadied my gaze to the figure who just spoke to me, and looked at him confused.

"Kakashi-sensei! What am I doing here at the hospital? What happened? And why… are you wearing that doctor's uniform? I never knew you were part of the medical team. Since when did you become a medic-nin, anyway?"

I stopped to inhale and waited for his answers.

'Kakashi-sensei…a medic-nin? Wow! He's really an all-around-guy. Wait till I tell the others how funny he looks in that uniform. But still… one could think that he would show his face now without that mask of his, but that clever guy took a surgeon's mask. Typically bright.'

I shook my head, my blond hair going side-to-side with my head, and smirked.

'Yep, that's my sensei!'

There, I looked at him and waited once more for his answers, which never seemed to come. That was when I noticed the serious look on his face and his raised eyebrow. He was looking at me as if he was…calculating what he was now supposed to say next. Personally, this did worry me. I just had a bad feeling about it… perhaps because of his confused expression. Kakashi was only seldom confused; and if he ever was, or showed it, then there was surely a very good reason to it.

"Well, first of all, I'm not-"

Kakashi was cut short when a certain pink haired girl entered the room, her face flushed and panting. She stopped a few meters away from Kakashi and me. I forced myself to sit up despite of the pain and saw Kakashi's 'you-can-even-sit-up-now, -are-you-human?' look. There, I gazed at Sakura and once again, I marveled at her beauty. Sakura-chan was really beautiful; like an angel fallen down to earth. Though I never really told her that…

'Maybe I should tell her… how pretty she is in that red summer dress… and that I am one of the luckiest people to have gotten to know her… Ya, maybe at the next team meeting at the bridge.'

At this thought I flashed her my brightest smile and to my surprise, she started crying. I looked over at her worriedly, but before I could do anything, she was already beside me, hugging me as if her life depended on it. I felt a blush creeping to my face; after all, she never really hugged me this way before. Well, sure, I felt that the knives on my arms started to do their work again; in fact I'm sure they multiplied from a thousand to ten thousand; but that didn't bother me too much at the moment. Sakura-chan was hugging me… _me_ of all people, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

"Umm… maybe you should go easy on the poor boy. After all, he just had an operation."

At this, Sakura blushed and let go. Instantly, I missed the feel of her arms around me and glared at Kakashi. He just gave me an innocent look and I frowned at him.

"Oh, well, I'm 'sniff' s-sorry, my love. It's 'sniff' j-just that I missed you s-so much… I-I thought… 'sniff' I really th-thought-"

With that, Sakura-chan just broke into tears and hugged me again, almost cutting my air supply short.

'My Love…? Did she really call me that?'

Surprised, I just sat there confused and looked at Kakashi. He was just grinning there and mouthed a 'she was scared for you! Can't you get that?'. I just glared at him again and cautiously put my arms around Sakura. When she didn't mind, I really was even more than surprised. Usually, she would beat me to a pulp if I even just touched her. This was scary. Scary? Hell ya! But a nice kind of scary… I then noticed that she was still crying. I asked her to look at me and I gazed at her face.

'Beautiful…'

"Shh… It's okay. Are you crying because of me? Please don't…"

She smiled at this and put a hand to my face.

"I thought I lost you…"

Before I knew what was happening, she kissed me softly on the lips and I felt my temperature rise rapidly. Kakashi noticed this and just grinned teasingly. I wanted to glare at him one more time, but I didn't and just enjoyed the kiss instead. After a while Sakura pulled away and smiled at me.

"I'm glad you're awake again, my love. I really thought you wouldn't make it."

Kakashi coughed to this and added: "Hey, I was his doctor after all and I never loose a patient."

I looked to Kakashi and gave him a thankful smile.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!"

There it was again. That strange look… as if he were really thinking hard and choosing his words carefully. That was when I saw Sakura's confused face.

"What are you talking about? This is Kyo-san. And Kyo-san's not a teacher; he's a doctor. Don't you… remember?"

I shook my head and an idea came to my mind.

"Kyo-san? Does Kakashi-sensei have a twin brother? Could this be him?"

Sakura-chan looked at me worriedly and I gazed at her questioningly. At that, she turned to Kakashi.

"Are you sure he's alright already? Do you think he hit his head too hard or something…? He seems like he really doesn't know you anymore. Is this part of the damage the accident gave him? And I wonder who this Kakashi-sensei is, that he's talking about."

I looked at Sakura surprised.

"Sakura-chan, don't _you_ remember Kakashi-sensei? Maybe _you're_ sick…"

I lift my hand to feel her temperature on her forehead, but she just stopped my hand in the midway. She shook her head and tears were threateningly near… I could feel her trying to control them. I looked at her sadly, not wanting to ever be the cause of her sadness.

"Did I say something wrong, Sakura-chan?"

And that did it. She started crying again and I embraced her, not knowing what else to do about her shaking form at my side.

"Sakura-chan?"

Suddenly, she looked at me again and my heart broke at the sight.

"Don't call me that. I'm not… Sakura… Don't you know me anymore? I'm your girlfriend. I'm Setsuna. My love, please remember. Nori, please…"

'Nori…'

With that, I felt something deep inside my head…

'Nori…'

Pain snaked inside my temple.

'Nori…'

Confused, I held my head, and tried to focus. I knew that name…

'But I'm not Nori, I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. A ninja of the leaf village…'

There another idea hit me and I turned to the two.

"This is just some kind of sick joke, ne, Sakura-chan? Ne, Kakashi-sensei? You almost got me there, you know…"

But I fell dead silent when I saw Sakura's hurt face.

"Nori, I would never… joke with you… I… I was dead worried when the accident happened… Do you think I would have had the time to think of any prank at all…"

Kakashi-sensei suddenly stepped forward.

"Setsuna-chan, it's alright. Please leave us both. You may return later. I will fetch you to be able to speak with him once more, but now… there are things to be… clarified."

Obediently, my 'girlfriend' left the room and I concentrated on the only person besides me in it.

"Now tell me Kakashi-sensei; what's happening here?"

He just nodded his head and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen.

"That's just the thing I wanted to ask you, too."

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So... how was that?

Well, it started with this crazy idea for a story plot and since Naruto is my favorite Anime... you know what I mean.

Like it? Hate it? Don't give a damn? Please review. Pretty please? (looks at you with huge puppy dog eyes... or if you don't like dogs, then huge kitten eyes... don't like cats? get any animal you like...)

Ja ne!

SchwarzViolet

P.S. Read and Review...


	2. Kyosan

Strory's Title: Of Truth and Reality

Author: SchwarzViolet

Rating: PG-13 (coz of later chapters)

Pairings: you'll see, you'll see…

Let's all be honest now, shouldn't we?

I… 'sniff'…

do not… I do n-not…

'sniff' o-own… 'wail'

I do not own Naruto! 'sniff…'

If only I were the brilliant guy who owns it… 'sniff' =,c

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Omigosh!

I can't believe it! I have now reviews coming in! Reviews! Can you believe that?!

'does a happy dancing-all-around'

'suddenly remembers the readers and regains composure with a beet red face'

'cough, cough'

As I was saying… I got reviews (though only a few, but at least a few and not none…) and I'm so glad. After all, this is only my first story and I get so excited about every new review. I'm really happy that all the reviewers wanted me to carry on and no one scolded me for anything… … yet… ;;

My God, now I have this terrible smile plastered onto my face and not my usual look. Though the others would notice on Monday, that's fine with me. They can wonder, for all I care… Hahaha.

Well then, since I'm in a good mood, I'll continue. Here goes! Enjoy!

P.S. Thank you so much to the ones who reviewed. I really appreciated it! Arigato!

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Chapter 2: Kyo-san

I sighed as I looked out the window. Confusion seemed to reign in my mind. I didn't know what to believe. And my hurting head didn't help me anyhow, either…

'Who am I?'

Slowly, I rested my forehead upon the glass of the window.

'Who am I?'

The cool glass soothed me a little. The sound of the rain calmed me down and I perceived it as a hypnotizing, sad melody. It almost reflected what I felt inside.

'Who am I? Nori…'

"Damn! How did I ever get into this mess?"

I raised my fist to bang it on the window, but never got to complete the action, as someone knocked on the door. Slowly I turned around to see a nurse coming in with a tray. A glass of water was on it and a closed container; though it was closed, I knew exactly what was inside. Kakashi- sensei… no…Kyo-san told me. I shook my head.

'Even if they're trying to get all that bullshit in my head, they're still who they are. They only have different names… As long as I'm not talking to them, I'll use their _real_ names. The names I got used to…'

I felt a pang in my heart as I had those thoughts.

'I need to fake _getting better_. I need to change everything I knew… starting from their names, to their relations to each other and even… to how my relation is to them. That would mean throwing away what I think is _true_.'

I let out a sigh and that was when the nurse noticed that I was at the window. Alarmed, she put the tray down on the table and rushed to my side.

"Why are you here? You just had an operation and your body is still too weak. Come… lie back down on the bed. You know very well that you aren't allowed to walk around, let alone, stand up, yet."

She ushered me to the bed and made sure I'd lie down.

"That's better. You shouldn't disobey the orders of your doctor. You are very lucky to have Kyo-san, you know. If I were his patient, I'd follow his every order."

She had this dreamy look and it was obvious she was one of Kakashi-sensei's fangirls.

"Tell me… did you become a nurse only because you wanted to chase after Kyo-san?"

With that she blushed and glared at me. I just grinned back. After a while, she just sighed and handed me the glass of water, together with the two green pills from the container.

I plopped the pills into my mouth. I scowled at the bitter taste and drank from the glass.

"There. Now be a good patient and stay on the bed. Kyo-san will be checking on you later."

She said it with a rather cold tone and I felt myself grin. When she closed the door behind her, I waited for a few seconds and got off the bed, making my way to the CR. There, I pulled off three leaves of toilet paper and spat out the two green pills I kept under my tongue. Grimacing once more at the bitter taste, I threw it in the trashcan and made a beeline for the window.

'Who am I?'

I couldn't help but sigh once more to the melody of my heart, playing as the rain poured down from the dark and cloudy heavens. At that moment, I was able to forget even the fact that I didn't know who I was.

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Hehehe… for those who went on with the second chapter before reading the first… who's this one here? Who was it? Don't know? Then read the first and come back later to this chapter. Or just read on and read the first chapter later. Whatever you wish.

Oh yeah… this is not the end of the chapter… yet. On with the story!

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I collapsed into my chair. It was another one of those days when a lot of people seemed to have formed a pact and got themselves hurt. Too many were delivered into the ER. It was just really a handful.

'Everytime I thought I was done, I would hear my name being called a few seconds after leaving the room. It was as if fate didn't want me to get to check on Nori.'

I sighed at the mere thought of him.

'His case is really hard. It was as if the accident caused him to believe he was another person. Maybe he did hit his head too hard when his motorcycle crashed.'

At this I shook my head. I was trying to fool myself again. It wasn't only the accident that caused this and I knew that. At least this was clear to me. Accidents don't simply let you believe in different things, and _unreal_ ones at that. That too was clear to me.

I got up and looked out of the window. I should have been on my way now to check on him, but I was hesitant.

'A while ago, when I had the conversation with him, he told me what he believed in.

He said he was a ninja from the town of Konoha and that he wanted to become the Hokage there. It didn't make any sense. His life at the current situation isn't even near to what he was telling me.

Also, he called me… what name was that again… Kakashi-sensei.

According to him, I am his teacher, training him, Sakura and Sasuke… which would be him, Setsuna, and Soujirou.'

I already knew at the moment he started telling me of all these things, that there should have been a problem involved, too… anything that could have made him this unstable to influence him to believe in such u_nreal_ thoughts. I would have to talk to Ikki about this.

'I just hope he'd take it well. I swear… that man worries easily and often too much.'

Smiling at the image of Ikki in my mind, my sprits lifted up and I went to check on Nori.

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I wasn't the least bit surprised when I saw Nori sitting on the windowsill and staring out. He had always loved the rain. Ever since he was a child, he loved it. Until now it was still a little strange. Nori was like the sun… cheerful and bright. But he loved the rain and preferred it to a sunny day.

"How are you feeling?"

He didn't even turn to face me as he gave out a weak: "Fine."

I looked at him more carefully and noticed the lifeless eyes and confused spirit. He was in a worse condition than I thought, so much different from the Nori I knew. I went over to him and sat across him on the windowsill. He didn't mind and we sat together in comfortable silence.

"Did you drink your pills?"

He nodded his head and I looked out the window.

He was lying. I knew that. But it wasn't too bad. I knew from the start that he wouldn't drink the pills. I gave it to him knowing he wouldn't need it. They were meant to stabilize his mind condition and balance it once more, making him less prone to… his delusions. His _unreal_ beliefs. But I doubted, that they would have helped bring Nori back to _reality_.

'He's trapped too deep down…'

Then, silence echoed once more, as we both were caught in our web of thoughts.

"Keep up drinking the medicine. And don't push yourself too hard."

He just nodded and I left the room.

'Nori… how could I bring you back?'

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Now you know what the accident was. Though you don't know how it really happened. You'll know later on. Hehehe…

So… bad? Good? (looks at you with eyes full of hope) Great? Please review!

Who can guess who Ikki is? Tee-hee…

I hope you enjoyed! Sayonara!

SchwarzViolet

P.S. What's Nori? Food? Oo Never knew…


	3. Ikkisan

Story's Title: Of Truth and Reality

Author: SchwarzViolet

Rating: PG-13 (coz of later chapters)

Pairings: uhmm… you'll soon find out

I do not own Naruto, period.

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Ohayou!

It's 2:16 am and I'm doing my assignments. But well, as is obvious, I'm not concentrating on doing my work, but rather my eyes are glued to the computer screen and my hands, which should be cutting papers now, are typing furiously away on the keyboard. Hehehe… so much for being a responsible student, duh. I'm such a priority-ignorer. Well, I don't mind.

I know, I know. It took me a lot of time to review, ne? I've got good excuses…

1.) My computer was destroyed.

2.) I was grounded. I couldn't use the computer for a month.

3.) The exams were on at that time, but now they're done with. (Thank God!)

I got new reviews and I'm happy that some find my story interesting. Yes, yes. I'm so glad. J Thanks again to the reviewers. Okay, let's start. On with the third chapter…

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Chapter 3: Ikki-san

**Kyo-san's POV**

I left the room, closing the door behind me. Sighing, I turned to the direction of my office. I felt so helpless.

'Nori… how could I bring you back?'

I started walking away but stopped abruptly, as I saw a figure hurrying to me. He reached me and stopped, panting and out of breath.

"I heard what happened, so I came as fast as I could… How is he doing? I heard he crashed to evade a person in the middle of the street. That is so unlike him. He usually doesn't get careless, even if the person in the middle of the street just jumped in in the last second…"

He looked past me at the door behind.

"Is that his room? I saw you coming out of there just now. Can I go in to check on him?"

Questioning eyes met mine and he suddenly understood. I didn't need to say a word. Probably my eyes told him. It had always been like this between Ikki and me. He knew what I was thinking without me saying it out loud.

'Probably because he's a shrink… though, it could be that we were friends for just too long now.'

"Ikki, he's in an… unstable situation. Come with me to my office. We'll discuss about it there."

He just nodded and followed behind. Judging from the silence between us, I could say that he was very worried. Usually, he would start talking about his patients, if it were any other day. But today was different and I felt like a cold breeze was constantly blowing around like a threatening mist. Anything could snap out of control. I'm sure he felt it, too.

Yes, this day wasn't my ordinary day. It was the day my brother lost track of who he was.

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Oh Gods! Kakashi is Naruto's brother! Where the heck did that idea come from? I swear it just popped out of the blue and I didn't plan this in the first and second chappie… Whatever… on with the story! Yey…

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**Ikki-san's POV **

"Now, tell me what happened."

Kyo turned away from the window and gazed at me. He felt helpless. I could sense it in his every action. I couldn't blame him. It was, after all, his brother in that room. He said that Nori was in an unstable situation.

'Could he be near death? In a comma?'

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach at these thoughts. I was worried too, of course… Nori was like a little brother to me.

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**Kyo-san's POV**

I sighed. Hesitantly, I began my tale.

"It went like this."

FLASHBACK

"Now tell me Kakashi-sensei; what's happening here?"

I nodded and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen.

"That's just the thing I wanted to ask you, too."

At this, he shot me a bemused look and complained about having asked first, his bottom lip slightly put forward. I smirked inwardly. No matter how serious the situation was, he always managed to look childish.

"Well, tell me. Who do you think you are?"

He looked confused as he just sat there on the bed, pondering about that single, simple question.

"I don't know."

His answer troubled me. I knew he wasn't lying. He was dead serious.

"What do you remember?"

"I know that I'm a ninja… I am Uzumaki Naruto… a ninja of Konoha."

This statement didn't surprise me. I knew that Nori was fascinated with ninjas and their techniques and skills. His room was full of books about them and posters hung on the wall with ninjas on them. Heck, he even had a set of real shurikens. I wondered often where he got them.

"Just continue."

He nodded and went on.

" I am… I am… an orphan. I am…"

His eyes went wide.

"… a monster."

I frowned at this.

'A monster? This is something else… Did Nori have some self-hatred locked up in him?

I scribbled in my pad and stopped as I heard it.

"Kyuubi."

As he said the name, I shivered. There was something dangerous to it. Though I knew it was an uncalled for feeling. After all, it was just a name, nothing more.

"Who is this Kyuubi?"

He looked at me with sad eyes which seemed to reflect deep pain.

"The monster in me."

I couldn't take the expressions on his face any longer and so I changed the direction of the discussion.

"How about the name you used for me a while ago?"

He looked at me and faked a smile, offering this small gesture as a sign of his thanks for changing the topic.

"Well, you're Kakashi-sensei, my teacher. At least… that's what I think…"

Even if he was trying his best to hide his feelings from me, he couldn't. After all, I lived with him since we were young… since our mom…

"Nor-"

I stopped and frowned.

"Na-"

I shook my head, not being sure about what I should call him; him-my own brother. I felt a pang in my chest.

I looked at him and urged him to tell more.

"You're my sensei, just like Iruka-sensei."

'Iruka… that must be Ikki.' I thought. I scribbled again into my pad.

"You're teaching me different techniques and helping me improve my fighting style. But you also have two other students… Sakura-chan and that cold-blooded ass, Uchiha Sasuke."

I raised my brow at that. So he had a bad relationship with that… Uchiha Sasuke. I bet that Sasuke's Soujirou. I chuckled in my mind.

'I guess they'll be rivals in whichever world they are in…'

My eyes snapped open.

'So I really do believe him that there is this world out there…?'

Images flashed through my mind. I shook my head but couldn't get off the feeling of nervousness in my chest. After all, there was something wrong… and it was damn serious.

"Iruka-sensei was my teacher in the academy. He always treats me out for Ramen… He's like an older brother to me."

Though I tried to ignore it, I felt a pang of jealousy that he didn't say I was like a brother to him, too.

'After all, I am his real brother. Or am I really?'

I noted down things, again, kicking myself mentally for having such childish thoughts.

'Nori is suffering from a mental problem and I am sitting here with other thoughts on my mind than to simply listen and take down notes. Damn, I am usually not that unfocused.'

I looked at him and he was talking on.

'That must be cause this time, it's my brother sitting there and not just any other patient… It's hard to accept that…'

"-and we always have meetings on the bridge. You would show up hours after the real appointed time…"

I raised my brow for the second time, disliking the idea.

'Me and late? That just didn't fit…'

"Me and Sakura-chan would shout at you and- oh, this is crap! This is total bullshit! Damn!"

I then looked up from my pad and saw his expression, trying hard not to loose the cool demeanor I always had as a doctor when I was around my patients and the staff. The patients threw fits many times. By now I was used to that, so I didn't even flinch when Nori shouted out.

He was looking at me angrily, trying to hold back from punching me.

'What did I do to rile him up this much?'

I didn't let my confusion show, but it sure as hell was eating me up from the inside.

Naruto just continued glaring until his gaze softened once more, turning apologetic. He turned his head to loook out the window. It started to rain.

I waited patiently, for I thought it wise for me to keep my mouth shut, no matter how I wanted to ask what was wong. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke again, his voice slightly quivering.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I just…"

He faced to me and I saw mixed emotions showing on his face.

"It's just that you keep on writing down the things I say and I feel like I really am sick in the mind. I know that what I'm saying isn't what you believe is real, but it's what I believe is true, Kyo-nii-chan. Yes, I know that you're my brother… in this world. I know now, again, that Iruka-sensei is Ikki-san. I know that… I know that… I remember so many things. But it's all mixed up. You see, I'm having trouble deciding which is the real one. I am Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto. But at the same time, I'm Nori."

My eyes went wide, as realization sank in. He never forgot about this real world. He still knew us, but he knew another life, too.

"Have you ever considered that Naruto is just your former self in the past life?"

He shook his head violently.

"It is not the past life because there should have been a life that passed already in the first place to even have a past life. I feel like my 'past life', as you call it, is not over yet… I am still Naruto. And that is who I really am."

I looked at him and made a decision. He needed help, but not just any help. He needed Ikki.

"Don't worry, we'll fix this mess. Trust me."

He looked up at me and nodded unsure.

There, I got up and with a last assuring glance, I left to find Setsuna. After all, I promised her to have another word with Nori when we were done.

END OF FLASHBACK

"That was how our conversation went, Ikki."

He looked up at me worriedly.

"Unstable… is the correct word for that."

I nodded at my friend on the couch.

"Yes. I still remember the blank look on his face as I left him in the room. He was perfectly still and not his bouncy self. It seemed so unlike him. Nothing had ever fazed him before… not even when our mom…"

I inhaled deeply, to calm myself down. Ikki looked at me knowingly.

"Hey, you alright?"

I nodded and continued.

"I wanted to ask you a favor."

"Let me guess… You want me to be his doctor right?"

"Yes"

"…."

"…."

"You know that can't be. I'd be too soft on him and my feelings would be in the way. You know that he's like a brother to me."

I looked at him and understood, but I couldn't back down.

"He needs you, Ikki. I would help him myself, but-"

"Of course, I'd like to help, too, but you know-"

"No, Ikki. I'm not a shrink and… the only one I could entrust Nori to and have peace of mind is you."

He was definitely flattered but he still shook his head.

"Kyo, I…"

I went to him and held his cheek.

"Please? Please, my dolphin?"

He blushed at this and mumbled a yes.

I chuckled. I knew I could get him by using my endearment for him.

"That was mean…"

I just laughed at him and he laughed with me. For a moment there, I was able to feel better again. Ikki would be there for Naruto, so he was as good as healed. Ikki was the best in his league.

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Uhhm… that was a shonen-ai there, I guess. But in a way, also not. That's why I didn't warn beforehand. I mean… the two are best buddies, aren't they? Can't friends not be sweet to each other?

So, how did you find it? This chapter's slightly longer than the first two… to make up for the long time without any update at all… 'sigh' I'm so sorry… I really am… Gomen…

To Mr. Just passing by (if ever you would pass by again):

I read your review and I must tell you that I prefer not saying whose POV it is, because I would like to make the readers think a bit and read well to find out who exactly the character is. But well, since it seemed you had a confusing time, I'm going to add from now on whose POV it is. Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciated it!

So, that was all folks! See you next chapter, which will hopefully be soon… Ja ne!

SchwarzViolet

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	4. Setsunachan

Story's Title: Of Truth and Reality

Author: SchwarzViolet

Rating: PG-13 (coz of later chapters)

Pairings: you'll see later on

Disclaimer: (a tape being played) "I do not own Naruto!"

Uhmm… hi?

Long time no meet!

Actually, I had every intention of just leaving this story to rot out there, hanging… My enthusiasm left me… But someone wrote a review! It was a big surprise for me… and I felt really, really, REALLY guilty…Thanks Gata-chan (whoever you may really be)! You encouraged me to write again after… uhh… months… forgot how many… uhh… whatever! Thanks again!

So… now that I'm back… shan't we move on?

SchwarzViolet

**Setsuna's POV **

When Kyo-san called me to see my Nori again, I did. It was a very sad memory…

FLASHBACK

"Hikari-chan! Namida-kun!"

They came running to me and I smiled at them.

"Glad that you were able to make it!"

Hikari smiled back. Namida just nodded, greeting me with his eyes.

"Where is he?"

"We have to wait here for Kyo-san. He'll be here soon. The two are just discussing things in Nori's room."

Hikari twirled her short violet hair in her finger and nodded. Namida didn't show any reaction and just stood near his cousin; his white eyes staring at the door.

"How is Nori?" Namida asked.

I looked at him, surprised that he just spoke his first three words in my presence.

Hikari saw the look on my face and laughed quietly.

There suddenly came another voice.

"Ya, Namida's right. How is he?"

We three turned to see more people standing near us.

There stood Chiriko, Shinichi and Iori beaming at us. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey there, Iori-pig!"

I stepped forward to Iori, all the while trying to keep a cool expression..

"Hey there, big forehead!"

She also took a step forward and we looked at each other with mock glares, then fondly, before we burst out laughing.

"It's good to see you."

"You, too, Setsuna! You too…"

I nodded and said hi to Shinichi, who lazily greeted back, and Chiriko, who also greeted back, though with a mouth full of chips.

"It seems like we're almost complete… Now we just need… Shinta, Kira, Tae and Len!"

Everybody else nodded.

Suddenly, Hikari looked up and smiled.

"There they are! All four of them."

And, precisely, they came running to us like in a frenzy.

I gazed at the newly-arrived people. They were panting and were obviously tired: Tae's mickey-mouse-hairstyle was disarranged; Len's green suit was crinkled all over; Kira's jacket was off coz he felt warm after running; and Shinta's shades were crooked on his nose.

"Hey, why are you all so out of breath?"

Tae looked at me and grinned, explaining heatedly.

"When you called us to come over coz Nori was awake, we all hurried out of work! We met up at the train station and rushed over here! My god! I can't believe it… Nori's finally awake after 2 days! Where is he? We wanna see him!"

"Whoa! Slow down. No need to worry. We'll see him soon. Just wait for Kyo-san to come and call us!"

The four finally settled down and caught their breath.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Shinichi suggested that we sit down on the chairs. We all agreed and plumped into our seats. By then, we were discussing about many random things already. But of course, Namida stayed quiet as usual… that was, until he asked his question from a while ago, again.

"How is Nori? Did you see him already?"

Sadly, I looked away and tried to control the wave of gloominess that washed over me as I thought back to what Nori called me.

"Something's wrong, am I right?"

I turned to Kira and nodded, biting my lip.

"What is it, Setsuna?"

I refused to meet their eyes as I told them what happened.

"I went into his room and he saw me. He recognized me and I was really grateful for that… but he called me with a different name… He called me Sakura. And he called his brother Kakashi-sensei! Imagine that. Something's wrong with him. I just don't know what! Even Kyo-san doesn't have a clue…"

For a moment, no one spoke while they were trying to digest what I just said.

"So, what does that mean? Does that mean that he forgot our real names, but nothing else aside from them?"

"He recognized you, but how about us others? Will he recognize our faces?"

"How did he react to you, Setsuna? What did he do when he saw you?"

'When did you talk to him? Just a while ago, right?"

"Did he hit his head or something?"

"Is that amnesia? Probably not…"

"Arggh! I don't get it!"

Confused at all the questions they bombarded me with, I hastily tried to find a way to answer them all as best as I could.

I already opened my mouth to reply to the first question, when we heard the doorknob of Nori's room being turned, and the door creak as it was pulled open. Out came Kyo-san, looking dazed and with a far away expression.

One look at Kyo-san's face told me volumes.

He noticed me and the others. He looked at us all before his eyes rested on mine. There, he shook his head. Apparently, he understood the silent question I sent to him with my eyes and had answered by shaking his head.

I frowned at this, but quickly wiped it off my face as he approached us with a smile.

"Hey there! You here to visit Nori?"

"Ya, Kyo-san. My pal, Aki, 's been missing him, ya know."

Kyo-kun's eyes crinkled and that meant that he smiled behind that surgeon's mask of his.

"Well, you could see him, but…"

His face suddenly turned serious. I could feel the tension in the air.

"Be careful of what you say or do there inside. Nori's not well yet. Even worse; he has a problem in the mind, if I am not mistaken… Probably from the accident, or something. So please do not take it against him or yourself if he speaks of things you could not comprehend…"

"What things?"

Kyo-san looked straight at Shinta.

"You will see for yourself. They involve ninjas and fighting skills and countries waging war-"

Kyo-kun wanted to continue, but was cut short.

"Ninjas?"

"War?"

"So it's not amnesia… What about Schizophrenia?"

Kyo-san just shook his head.

"I don't know if it's schizophrenia, kids. All I know is that it's not normal."

We all nodded. I sighed.

"You could say that."

He then looked at all of us and smiled.

"What are you waiting for? You've wanted to see him for two days already, now! Get in. He won't bite you, you know!"

He ushered us to the door and gave us all one last look, before knocking on it.

Slowly, he opened the door and I felt everyone hold their breaths. It seemed like they were just as anxious as I.

I peered inside and entered along with the others. Kyo-san left us already to get back to work.

There he was, sitting on the bed, looking out the window with a frown gracing his tan face. If I wouldn't have known him, I would have thought that he didn't notice us and was just too wrapped up in his thoughts. But I knew him better… He was, after all, my boyfriend… my Nori. He knew we were there.

But then again… Was he still my Nori? Was he still mine? Was he even still Nori at all?

'So many questions…'

The others made no sound, but they stepped forward towards him. That was when he finally looked at us; and for a while, I was scared that he would not recognize me at all… or that he would forget that I was Setsuna, again…

But I never expected him to actually smile at us a warm smile. I also didn't expect him to jump off the bed full of energy and approach us, waving. His step had a light skip to it.

For a while, I saw Nori again.

But unlike the others, I couldn't be fooled.

"Heya guys! Nice to see you all here! You came to see me didn't you? Of course you did… You really love me, ne? Hehehe… Well, what can I say; I am a really important person. And you wanted to give me get-well presents didn't you? So… where are my presents? Where are they? Give 'em!"

Iori stepped beside him and bonked him on the head.

"Baka! We didn't come here just to give you presents…"

"Oww … In-Iori! I just had an operation! Be gentle with my head…"

Iori got a guilty face, but her expression changed when Nori rumbled on.

"Well, I'll let that one slip… if you give me my presents. I do hope you brought them with you. If not, then you can come back tomorrow and give them to me. In fact, if you brought me presents today, already, then you could bring me again tomorrow, right? Hehehe…Yup, that's it!"

Iori hit him on the head again.

"Owwie!"

"That's what you get!"

All of us laughed and Namida tapped him on the shoulder.

"For a guy who was out cold for 2 days, you sure seem fine already! Shouldn't you be in bed or something"

We all looked at Namida when he said this. We all became rather silent.

Nori just grinned and replied.

"Nah! I never really knew how to follow orders, did I? Anyway, lying around's just not possible for me! You know me, Ne-Namida!"

'Oh really? Does he really now you that well, my Nori? If he does, then did he notice your slip? Did he notice that you wanted to call him with a different name? Did he notice that you are strained at the moment? Did he notice that you flinched at your mistake?'

I frowned at these thoughts.

'You can't fool me…'

For the rest of the time we all spent together in that hospital room, I was quiet and just observed him. He probably knew this, but he hid it well. My Nori had always been one to hide his problems and real feelings behind a mask of smiles.

I wondered if the others were aware of my unusually silent behavior. But in the end, it ceased to matter to me. It seemed that they were oblivious to many things today.

The whole time, we briefed Nori about what happened in the 2 days he was unconscious All in all, it wasn't a lot, but they were all fooling around – making jokes and all that. I laughed with them, though mine were all fake and strained laughs.

After a while, Kyo-san's head showed up at the doorway and told us that we should let Nori rest again, after which he left to attend to his patients.. Thus, we said our goodbyes… Iori gave her last head-bonks, Aki jumped into Nori's arms and licked his face before jumping back to Kira, Hikari blushed for the last time that day, and Chiriko gave Nori a bag of chips. One by one the others went out; Namida looking back one last time and nodding, before closing the door behind him, leaving me and Nori inside the room.

He looked at me in a serious way and I opened my mouth to speak. When no words would come out, I just shook my head and embraced him. I smiled to myself when he hugged me back, albeit a bit hesitantly.

When we both pulled away, he kissed me on the forehead.

"Please don't make the others notice, ya? I know that you saw how I really felt a while ago. Please don't tell them. They shouldn't act all weird on me. I don't want that. Anyway, I will be well soon. Don't worry…

I nodded and gave him a small smile.

"You can count on me."

He smiled back and I gave him the last kiss on the cheek before exiting the room.

Outside, I leaned my back on the door and everyone became silent for a while. When I smiled at them, they resumed their buzzing.

"He's not sick! He's too energetic…"

"Considering the fact that he just had an operation… man, he's not human! No one could heal that fast!"

"Well, his mouth's still as loud as before… hmmph!"

"Hey, Iori, weren't you too harsh on him?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Did you find anything abnormal about his behavior?"

"None at all! He's perfectly fine…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yup!"

"How about what Kyo-sensei said?"

"Perhaps he just exaggerated a bit?"

"I don't know…"

"What do you think?"

"I don't know, either. That's why I'm asking you, you dolt!"

"Hey, that was uncalled for!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Oh, shut it, you two!"

That was when I stopped listening to them bickering…

So they thought he was fine…

'Nori…'

'Naruto…'

'Who are you really?'

We all bid each other goodbye and went our own way home. All the way, I couldn't help but think…

'How long? Why did this happen? Did this change anything?'

END OF FLASHBACK

Now, while I looked out the window in my room, my soul reached out to his, wondering what he was thinking at the moment.

**Nori's POV **

When they left me, I was relieved. I didn't need to pretend anymore.

Slowly, I lay myself back onto the bed and closed my eyes, flinching at the pain.

'I just had an operation, after all…'

'I wonder how they could buy my act a while ago. I felt no pain-I felt no pain, my ass!'

But then again, it was my fault that they now believed I was well.

'Well, I can't rewind that anymore. Besides, it's better this way…'

Suddenly, the annoying nurse came back.

"Here's your dinner."

She put the tray down on the bedside table and started removing the foil. I stopped her.

"It's okay. I can feed myself."

She looked at me questioningly.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"If you say so. But drink your pills afterwards, ya?"

I nodded and she hurried off out of the room.

'Let me guess… I bet she's hurrying to stalk my bro.'

I chuckled and stopped when what I said sank in.

'Brother? I must be getting used to the idea already… Sensei or brother?'

'I guess, it really doesn't matter if it's real. What matter's is if it's true…'

I was getting confused, so I shook my thoughts away and started eating. After that, I stood up, winced, and made my way to the bathroom to flush the pills down the toilet.

As I watched the pills go and slowly disappear down the hole, I felt happy in a twisted way and I felt myself smirk.

I went back to the bed and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

Yup, that was the fourth chapter, folks. It was long! So, wadya think? Good, bad? Please review…Please?

Thanks to all who review! I love ya'll!

SchwarzViolet


	5. Dreams

Story's Title: Of Truth and Reality

Author: SchwarzViolet

Rating: PG-13 (coz of later chapters)

Pairings: you'll see later on

Disclaimer: (a tape being played) "I do not own Naruto!"

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Hey there!

I think I kinda changed my original plot. I thought that this chapter would be a boring one or sumthin… seems like my mind's working at the moment. I certainly don't have writer's block! Yey! But, really… this chapter came out weird. Well, whatever. You can see for yourselves…

Here's the next installment… Hehehe. Have fun!

SchwarzViolet

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Chapter 5: Dreams

Nori's POV

"This sucks."

I wanted to desperately leave the hospital already. It had been three days… three looong days of boredom.

'Then again, it wasn't even that boring. Too many things happened, in fact.'

For a long moment, I was silent and reflected upon all the things that occurred in my stay here. When I thought that my head would break with all the thinking I was doing, I pulled at my hair in frustration.

"Damn it! I hate this…"

'It isn't fair..'

I sat up and forced myself not to wince at the pain.

'That accident really got to me…'

Carefully, I stretched my arms above my head, yawning like a fox, trying to remove the sleepiness.

'Guess I'm just not used to lying around, doing nothing. This isn't good for my hyperactive image!'

I looked around the room and sighed. I was tired of the sickening green color of the walls. The color was really sickeningly green, literally. It also didn't help my aching head, either.

'Couldn't they have used a more stylish color? Like orange, perhaps?'

Something was off, today. I just couldn't remember what…

"Maybe I should just get out of this place? Escape from the boredom…"

It was then that I stopped my trail of thought and understood. The sickening feeling wasn't because of the green walls… It wasn't even boredom that bothered me the most. It wasn't really the headache, either. I wanted to get out of the hospital soon because…

I looked at the wallclock and cursed.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

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Ikki-san's POV

I opened my eyes. This was the day.

I looked at the clock on my bedside table. It read 6.30 am. I groaned and took a deep breath.

'Should I get up? Maybe I shouldn't?'

I knew I was acting childish, but I couldn't help it.

'Yeah, I shouldn't get up! I'll call to say I won't go to work today because… because… I'm sick! Yeah, because I'm sick!'

As fast as the idea crossed my mind, it flew right out again.

'But Kyo's gonna hate me forever. He's gonna rip me to pieces… or blackmail me… or even worse…'

My eyes went wide.

'He might not even talk to me ever again!'

Before I knew what was happening, my body acted on its own accord and I found myself in the bathroom the next second, preparing myself for work.

I stared into the mirror and glared at my reflection, as if it were what tricked me into getting up. After a while, I just sighed and gave up. Anyway, my reflection wouldn't have given up. One of us just had to be the wiser…

'Guess I can't let this get out of hand. And anyway, he needs me to help his brother come back to the world of the sane…'

For a while, my gaze softened.

'No… that came out rather wrong. Nori's just as much my brother as he is Kyo's.'

"It's not fair…"

My mind went blank and I remembered the time when this happened before, a few years ago…

'Only, that time, it wasn't an accident that caused all the trouble. He was too young back then. Lucky for him, for all of us, that he didn't break. I don't want that happening again.'

Determinedly, I snapped out of my trance and my gaze fell on my wristwatch on the sink.

My eyes flew wide and I cursed like there was no tomorrow.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

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Nori's POV

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

I literally flew out of the bed and landed on my butt.

"Oww…"

With a face, I stood up and rubbed the sore spot.

While standing up, I felt terribly dizzy and needed to close my eyes. When I opened them again, they tried to focus and my vision became clear once more.

Steadying myself, I approached the wall.

I checked the wallclock again, wishing it wasn't time yet. But alas, all my glaring at the clock didn't change a thing.

Soon, I gave up.

'Well, I can't have him catching me like this, can I?'

I looked into a mirror.

'Certainly not. I look like I journeyed to hell and back.'

I quickly strode over to the bath and almost disappeared inside already if it weren't for an annoying nurse.

I saw her enter my room and go wide eyed.

She ran over to the table, deposited the tray of food and came to me with long strides… all faster than you could say: "Ever heard of knocking?"

"Young man! You shouldn't be walking around yet! You just had an operation! You shouldn't stress out your body at the moment."

'Geesh. Tell that to Ino! She's been bashing me like crazy.'

I put on my goofy and confident smile.

"I can handle it! Right now, I'm perfectly fine! I just need to… need to…"

I felt the faint lightheadedness again and once more, my vision became blurry. Suddenly, pain clouded my senses and I heard myself scream.

"Oh God! I'll call for help. What hurts? How do you feel?"

I heard her move away and push the button above the bed.

Not being able to bear the pain anymore, I fell onto my knees.

Soon, several other nurses came to my room to help me. All that just caused my headache to increase in magnitude and I cried out again.

All I could remember were a pair of brown eyes looking down at me before my world turned completely black.

"Iruka-sensei…"

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Nori POV

Another scream…

'Was that me?'

I tried to move my body in the darkness. I felt panic creep into me as I found out that I couldn't move my body. Apparently, I was lying on my stomach in the middle of a dark nowhere.

'What's wrong here?'

Another scream…

'No. That's not me…'

Struggling to move, I willed my fingers to obey as I tried to clench them.

It had no effect. Panic gripped my heart even further now.

'Damn it! Where am I?'

There sounded the same scream again. I felt a chill run down my spine at the sound. It was as if the person was being tortured…

Now that I hearkened a bit more, I also heard other faint cries in the distance. They were cries of pain and anguish…

'Where am I?'

I tried to call for help, but my voice wouldn't come. I opened my mouth to try over and over again to speak, but nothing came out aside from air.

Fear slowly took over me as the screams became louder and louder, and the temperature dropped several degrees lower. I could feel my breath in the chilly air.

When I heard someone sobbing beside me to my right, I started to move my head to face in that direction. Surprised that I could move it, I turned it all the way till I could see the person beside me. What I saw made my heart stop.

To my right, there was a dead body. Its head was cut off. That wouldn't have bothered me too much. I have seen so many corpses already in my life as a ninja. What bothered me was that its head was directly beside mine, so near, that our noses were almost touching. It was crying tears of blood out of empty eye sockets. I felt myself go pale and bile rise up in my throat.

It even got worse when it started chanting one thing over and over again…

"You killed me."

I saw the body's arm reach out to me and that did it.

"Nooo! Get away from me!"

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Ikki-san's POV

"Nooo! Get away from me!"

I was pinning him down so Kyo could give him a shot to calm him down. He had been thrashing around for minutes now.

But suddenly, before Kyo could inject the drug, Nori sprang up from the pillows and hit me with his forehead on mine.

"Oww.."

"Nori! I swear I'll get you for th-"

I stopped when I saw the look of pure horror on his face. At that very moment, I was stupefied. When he snapped out of it and finally realized he had been having a nightmare, he pushed me off him and ran to the bathroom. There, the noises already told us what he was doing.

I gazed over to Kyo questioningly and he nodded calmly before following Nori.

We found Nori hunched over the toilet and puking his guts out. I felt pity for the boy I see as my own brother, and kneeled beside him, patting his back in a soothing motion. When he was finally done, Kyo offered him some tissues. He wiped himself and threw the tissue aside. Then, he did something he hadn't done for years… he cried onto my shoulder like there was no tomorrow.

Suddenly, I felt like being pulled back into time, when Nori did this for the first time. With shaky hands, I held him and let him cry everything out. After a while, Kyo sat beside us on the bed and patted him on the back. This went on for what seemed to me like ages, and each of Nori's sobs hurt me. It pained me to see him in this state.

"Hey, feeling better?"

He looked up at me and nodded.

'I miss his smile.'

Kyo and I helped him back to the bed. He lay down, but when he felt his eyelids drooping, he panicked and grabbed Kyo's arm.

Kyo understood.

"It's okay, Nori. Trust me, you can fall asleep. No more nightmares will bother you."

Nori just nodded his understanding, closed his eyes, and held out his arm to Kyo. With a practiced hand, Kyo injected the drug into Nori's system and soon, Nori's frown disappeared, leaving a calm expression behind.

"Sleep well, my brother."

'Yes, sleep well…'

Quietly, we made our way out of the room and assigned a nurse to clean up Nori's bathroom. We also ordered her to call us when he wakes up.

With that done, we left for Kyo's office to talk. I had the feeling that it would be a serious one. I was very much correct.

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Kyo-san's POV

"Tell me what happened."

"I don't know. I was just on my way to his room when I saw the nurses hurrying from the nurses' station. It seemed like something bad happened, so I ran along with them. Little did I know that it was Nori they were coming for."

He looked at me unsurely and I nodded.

'Ikki's in pain. It's been a long time since I've seen that expression on his face. The last time he wore this look was when…'

My eyes widened in realization.

"Well, I entered his room and we saw him kneeling on the floor. Obviously, he was in pain coz he was crying out. I… I…"

He glanced away and walked to the window. Staring out, he sighed.

"I never felt so helpless before."

"I see."

"I see? That's all you can say?"

he turned angrily to me.

"I've been a doctor for so long. I always know what to do. I'm always in control of the situation… but this time…"

he looked downwards.

"This time I panicked. I guess it was because Nori was the one suffering there. It was Nori, and not just any other patient."

Slowly, I made my way to him and stopped before him.

"But that's not the real problem there, is it?"

Surprised, he looked into my eyes and groaned.

"I never could keep anything from you, could I?"

I gave out a dry chuckle.

"Yes."

I reached out and held his face with one hand. Unconsciously, he leaned into the touch.

'He must be in a worse situation than I thought.'

"I just couldn't stand it."

"What couldn't you stand?"

His voice drooped down to a whisper.

"Déjà vu."

"That was what has been bothering you, right?"

When he didn't answer, I continued.

"Sure, you were scared that you wouldn't be a good shrink for Nori because you know him. You made that very clear to me from the start. But it's because of her, right?"

With eyes clenched shut, he nodded weakly.

"Ikki, look at me."

When he didn't open his eyes, I repeated it again.

"Ikki, look at me. Please, my dolphin…"

He cautiously opened his eyes and stared into mine. What I saw troubled me. There were too many negative emotions showing in the mirrors of his soul.

"It was not your fault."

"No, I failed him… I failed her…I…"

"it was not your fault."

"Why are you saying this? Why?"

He was close to tears now.

I saw him sway and I tried to steady him.

"Why? Why!"

He was shouting the word over and over again, while hitting me on the chest. The tears he had bottled up for so long were now finally flowing from his eyes.

It was then that my body acted out of its own accord and I hugged him.

"it was not your fault."

I let him cry onto my shoulder.

'So long… He had kept these tears from the world for so long. I'm so sorry, Ikki.'

When he calmed down, I told him to go home and rest. His meeting with Nori would be postponed till tomorrow. I even told him that he could wait a few days to adjust to the idea.

"No, I want to see him tomorrow. I won't fail again…"

"Ikki, it's not-"

"I know."

I stared after his retreating frame and shook my head in frustration.

'No you don't. You think you do, but you don't.'

I sat down onto my seat and buried my head in my hands.

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How was that? Good, bad, stupid, brilliant? Please review! Thank you!

Aaaaannnnnddddd…

Once again, I've finished another chapter. It kinda feels good, ya know?

But I must say that I added many twists in this chapter. This started out to be the chapter where Nori and Ikki should talk at last. Seems like it didn't happen… Personally, I like this chapter. (please ignore the wrong grammar and spelling)

Who can guess who 'she' is? And what's happening? Can anyone understand what I wrote? Tee hee.

Well, I was just partly worried and partly amused by some of the reviews. It seems like not everyone knows who is who. Coz of this, I'll give you now an incomplete list of the characters and their names in both worlds…

Naruto – Nori

Kakashi-sensei – Kyo-san

Iruka-sensei – Ikki-san

Setsuna-chan – Sakura-chan

Hikari-chan – Hinata-chan

Namida-kun – Neji-kun

Iori-chan - Ino-chan

Chiriko - Choji

Shinichi - Shikamaru

Shinta - Shino

Kira – Kiba and Aki - Akamaru

Tae – Ten-ten

Len – Lee

Like I've stated before, this is incomplete. Not all the names are here because not all the characters have been introduced to you yet in Nori's world.

I hope this was helpful…

SchwarzViolet

PS. Please review!


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